- Along with the increase in popularity of Gran Fondos
and sportives there are now a whole load
of very well organised multi-stage events that
you can compete in as well.
- Yeah, one of those is the Haute Route who are organising
six events this year ranging from between
three and seven days.
And our very own Johnny 'Chocolate Voice' Beaven
is doing one in August. The Haute Route Alps.
- Now we've already done a video on how to best prepare
for a multi-stage event but once you've done
your training and preparation
how do you get the most out of the event itself?
- Well, here's how.
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The first and most obvioius thing to remember
is that you are not doing a one day event.
However it's very easy to let
your enthusiasm get the better of you on the very first day.
Just like a twenty minute time trial
or a five hour road race you need to pace yourself
for the duration of the event.
- And that means not leaving everything out on the road
on the very first day of the event. I mean by all means
push yourself a bit, but always in the back of your head
you should be thinking about what is still to come.
- Now definitely try and conserve as much energy as you can.
Use other riders to your advantage by slipstreaming and
certainly don't show how strong you are,
even if you're feeling on top of the world.
Save that for the last few days.
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- Just as important as conserving energy during the stages
is replenishing your energy after them.
That means eating well,
and eating more than normal.
Now is not the time to be dieting,
you are going to be burning through
an enormous number of calories and fluids each day
and they need to be replaced.
Now, you can get away without fueling perfectly on
a one day race, but do that on a day of a stage race
and the likelihood is that you'll pay for it
the following day.
So consume plenty whilst out on your bike,
and don't be afraid of going back for seconds at dinner.
It's very unlikely you're going to be putting any weight on.
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- Rest is also of even more importance
during a multi-stage event.
You want to spend as little time on your feet as possible
and get as much sleep as possible.
This is going to give your body the best chance
of recovering between each stage.
- You could also take advantage of
any massage that's on offer.
The science may still be inconclusive
oF the benefits of massage,
but pro-riders have sworn by it for years,
and get a daily massage at races to this day.
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- We all like to push ourselves on occasion to find out
what we're made of, and also how we compare to other riders.
And that is absolutely fine,
but our suggestion for a multi-stage event
is that you pick one day which really suits you
and really target that stage.
- Yeah, and preferably that day should be in the latter part
of the event.
'Cause in all that effort can really take it out of you
and dig into your reserves
and be very difficult to recover from.
But when you get it right
the immense sense of satisfaction is wonderful.
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- Part of the joy of doing an organised event
like the Haute Route is that
you are getting to ride with other people.
But as well as chatting and socialising with them,
you can also use them to your advantage.
- That's right. Get yourself into a group
of like-minded riders of a similar ability
and you can all help each other, both by sharing the work
of pace setting on the front,
but also by providing support to each other
when you're going through a bad patch,
which will inevitably happen from time to time.
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- Our last piece of advice is to just enjoy it.
It's very easy to become overly serious
and a bit too intense about the event when there is really
absolutely no need to.
After all the like it is you're going to be riding in some
beautiful surroundings with some pretty cool people.
So if it gets a bit too much at points take a step back
and soak it all in.
- Exactly, that sense of accomplishment
should be accompanied by a feeling of joy,
and of happiness. And if you ever find yourself
in a particularly bad place, just kick back a bit,
take a look at the surroundings that you're in,
and think how many other people would love to be exactly
where you are.
- Well there you have it
six ways to get the best out of your multi day event.
And make sure you let us know
in the comment section down below
if they helped you.
- Yeah, hopefully that'll help
our own John 'Chocolate Voice' Beavan,
and we will be giving an update on exactly how he gets on
once he has done his event.
Now if you've enjoyed this video please give it a thumbs up
and share it with anyone that's doing a multi-stage event.
And then we've got a couple of videos
you might well be interested in right now.
First up, just down here is how to prepare
for a multi-stage event.
And just down here how is to fuel your riding.
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